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My interviews...all laid back, all went well, but each with a different personality
Yale: Scary for a first interview! It was at the women's house, and we just had a great conversation for an hour and a half. I guess she asked me a few questions, but I don't know that I really answered them or that it even mattered. Lots of fun...probably my fav. interview.
Carleton: Sweet, but less outgoing interviewer. At a coffee shop (and yes, she offered me a drink and I accepted. It's really not that big of a deal...plus I like having something to do with my hands and having a drink makes it seem more natural to me). Basically all me asking questions, which was a little tough because at a certain point I was reaching a bit for stuff to say. Covered what I wanted to cover, and she repeatedly said how good of a fit I seemed to be for Carleton. Again, about an hour and a half.
Brown: Most normal of all the interviewers. Was at a tony private school downtown and was only about a half an hour, because of all the people they had to interview (kind of sucked because it takes an hour to drive and park downtown and it has been freeeeezing here the past week, so the two block walk to the school wasn't so nice). She asked me a good amount of questions (Why Brown?, etc. nothing too tough) and was pleased with me and my answers, I think. A lot of talking and information for only a half an hour.
Princeton: Good, though most unique of all my interviews. Was after school at the woman's office, and I think that I wasn't quite in top form as far as eloquence goes, just because I was kind of tired. I spent a decent amount of time talking about my parents, who are both Princeton grads. I felt like the burden was on me in this interview to prove that I wasn't just applying because Mommy and Daddy said to (especially since I didn't do ED), and she did indeed ask me, kindly, if my parents were pressuring me about Princeton. I answered truthfully--that my parents think that Princeton is great, but do not think that it is not the only great place or the only place where you/I can get a great education. She seemed to believe me. I also talked quite a bit about academics, including all of the AP courses that I had taken/was taking. The best parts of the interview were when I was talking about my parents (I like to tell stories) and at the end, when she asked me what I would like to convey to the admissions committee about myself (that I am a passionate learner who will come to Princeton and be engaged in class--you would know that I was there!).
I guess my general advice about interviews is that mostly it's just normal people who probably enjoy talking to young adults. Yeah, I am sure that there are some weirdos (I read the interview horror stories), but assume that your interviewer just wants to get to know you. At the same time, it's your time to prove yourself--to prove that you can carry a conversation, that you are more than a standardized test machine/academic grind, and that you are honestly interested in X college. Especially at the most selective places, you NEED to show them that Mommy, or your best friend Johnny, or the USNWR rankings did not just tell you to apply and so you did. It seems like common sense, but while I was in my Brown interview, my dad was sitting in the waiting room with some ancient alum that they had to talk to the parents/kids while they were waiting. This guy asked one of the kids why he was applying to Brown, and the kid say "Uhhh, because my guidance counselor said to". If you can prove to them through your app and your interview that you have actual, good reasons to apply to the school, you will stand out.
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